Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-03-17
~rhe Illustrated E4erala.''
rhis publication. by far the most superior
aunbsr yet issued, is on the prefe, and Will
he ready for delivery in q few days,
a medical Cassandra.

Do kS0Wy IUE 0CAAv SAy 80 - ~~'' ~~s--T-H7ia
A medical Cassandra.
II will be seen by our dispatches
this morning that DIR. Simpson, who
paue down here with the Board OF
Health, has tried, in an interview in
San Francisco, to place the smallpox
in this city in the worst possible light.
He says our people are inclined to
extreme secrecy on the subject, and
that the press is as silent as possible
about it. What would this gentleman
have the people of Los Angeles do?
Would he have them stand on the
and trumpet every little
fact connected with the visitation to
the crowded streets below? What
secrecy is there on the subject, when
all the information attainable about
the disease is given to the people
every day by the newspapers? This
irequent reiteration of false charge
il becoming monotonous, and dis
closes an animus of malice on the
part of those who are constantly re-
peating it. We have no secrecy to
maintain in the premises. The HER
AID has time and again discussed the
subject in all its phases, and given
every fact that ought to be pub
lished about it. Indeed, we have
mot been nearly so reticeut about
this visitation as the San Iran
cisco papers were few weeks ago
about the alarming prevalence OF
diphtheria in that city. If we have
erred in any respect with reference
to our smallpox scare it has been in
giving q greater prominence 10 it
than the facts warranted. DR.. Simp-
ron says that unless our city authori-
ties display more energy than they
have heretofore done the disease is
likely to become serious. Now, it is
. well-known fact that when the
State medicos met our officials at a
public conference and enumerated a
long series of recommendations to
ch eek the disease, it was found that
we had taken every precaution they
then advised. We had established q
strict quarantine in every case outside
the hospital, tagged the houses OF
infected persons, and placed compe-
tent guards in front of them. The
local Health Officer had opened vac
offices in various parts of
the city, and the people were urged
daily by the press to avail themselves
of this approved mode of protection.
The smallpox hospitul was enlarged
and improved and everything fur
nished it that would conduce to the
comfort and cure of the patients.
The offer of three devoted Sisters of
Charity to take entire charge
Of the hospital was promptly
accepted, and all the condi-
tions they demanded in order to
make their services effective were at
once complied with. The school
children we're vaccinated at very
early period in the progress of the
disease; but as the vaccine was poor,
th ere we're many failures of ittotake,
Re-vaccination is going on as rapidly
n possible with better quality of
viz as. DIR. Simpson lays great stress
ON the fact that each Of the outside
cases offers q centre for The spread of
the disease. We presume that would
be 90 in any city. To overcome this
it would be necessary to adopt very
stringent and arbitrary measures, and
take patients by force out OF their
homes. This never has been done
,rnywhere, and would be successfully
resisted here as it was in San Fran
cisco in 1868. Unless the disease
should become epidemic, which there
il NO reason to believe it will, there
would re no justification in resorting
10 this extreme measure. DIR. Simp-
son truly says that the outside cases
are in the finest residence streets of
the city, and cites Hill street as one.
Now 5this fact, if properly con-
sidered, will be a strong argument
against the serious aspect he wishes
10 give to the situation. The houses
On these residence streets are sep
arated from each other by extensive
grounds, and thus the difficulty of
the disease is greatly les
Bsned. If the disease we're in quarters
where the buildings are closely packed
md populously inhabited, then the
aifiiculty of isolation would be immeas-
nra bly, increased. Now, in view OF all
he facts we have adIuced above, we
leave it 10 any fair arbitrament
whether DR.. Simpson is not playing
he part Of an alarmist without suf-
icient grounds for his sensational
Itatements. What he says about the
Ieriousn ess of the situation from
professional standpointis controverted
y our Health Officer. DIR. Hagan,
rho i oubtless as good an authority
= Dr.. Simpson. What he says about
he suppr ession of information on the
rbjsge BY the press, is positively
-, - the fles Of the HxHAID win